School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-9-Max, 14, has had enough! His archaeologist parents have always been annoyingly obsessed with everything Mayan. But now they have canceled the family vacation to go on a dig in Central America, leaving him behind. Max is furious, moping around and avoiding the chores left to him by his father. One day, the housekeeper mysteriously turns up with a ticket for Max to San Xavier where he is supposed to meet up with his parents. From the time his plane touches down, nothing goes as planned. First, Max is met at the airport by a stranger and sent on a wild bus ride to find an uncle he has only heard bad things about. Then, he discovers that his parents have vanished into the jungle. To top it off, he gets lost in the rainforest and teams up with a strong-willed Mayan girl named Lola. Together they embark on a quest to find Max's parents and uncover the ancient secrets that are placing the entire world at risk of destruction. Scott Brick does a nice job of capturing the breathless action of the story and Max's varied and changing emotions. He provides convincingly unique voices for all the major characters. With a winning combination of appealing characters, a solid story, and excellent narration, this audiobook will appeal to fans of fantasy and high adventure.-Deanna Romriell, Salt Lake City Public Library, UT (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
A Boston teenager whose idea of adventure comes from computer gaming finds himself at the center of cosmic struggles between ancient Maya gods within the jungles of Central America, in this husband-and-wife team's first installment of the Jaguar Stones trilogy. Max Murphy's archeologist parents leave him behind, as usual, when they rush off to excavate an ancient Maya temple, and so he is surprised to be summoned to join them a week later. By the time he arrives, however, they have gone missing, and Max can tell that people are holding back the details. Despite his lifelong lack of interest, Max finally has to learn about Maya culture, especially when his parents' disappearance seems to have to do with the five "jaguar stones" used by the ancient ruler-gods and said to confer ultimate powers. This elaborate genre-bender involves ruthless smugglers; family estrangements; a helper in the form of a teenage Maya girl named Lola; two ancient Maya rulers brought to life (and given the bodies of baboons); Maya culture, past and present; zombies; and the Maya gods' eternal conflicts. That Max has somehow been chosen (presumably by the gods) to play the hero goes unresolved here, but between the exotic settings and themes and the breakneck pace, readers may not even notice the thin characterizations and motivations. A detailed appendix surveys the Maya world. Ages 11-up. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Booklist Review
Newly arrived in the snake-infested dump of San Xavier, a fictional Central American country, 14-year-old Max Murphy discovers that his archaeologist parents have disappeared. Aided in his search by resourceful Lola, a descendent of the Maya, Max learns that the gods of her people have chosen him for a mission involving powerful artifacts. The husband and wife coauthors, whose knowledge of the ancient Maya is evident from detailed appendixes and a bibliography, deliver too much information here, giving short shrift to Max's characterization and certain plot elements such as why the ancient spirits speak English, and why Max, an often-whiny Bostonian with no ancestral ties to the Maya, finds favor with them. In addition, the pains the authors take to avoid making the culture seem exotic or strange are undercut by the wild mysticism surrounding the artifacts. Still, the book's unusual Mesoamerican backdrop is worth marking, and the Indiana Jones-influenced adventure, as well as the book's polished line drawings, will keep readers interested and looking forward to future entries in the Jaguar Stones trilogy.--Mattson, Jennifer Copyright 2007 Booklist